Jonas Leo
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has expressed a keen interest in participating in Japan’s prestigious Super GT series, widely regarded as the fastest grand touring car championship globally. However, his potential entry faces a significant hurdle: the series’ current format, which lacks a singular, globally recognized blue riband event, making a guest appearance difficult to justify for the Dutchman.
Verstappen, known for his relentless pursuit of diverse racing challenges, recently gained further hands-on experience with Super GT machinery. Last month, as part of a promotional shoot orchestrated by his employer Red Bull, he completed his first laps in a Nissan Z GT500 car at Fuji Speedway. This followed an initial outing in a Honda NSX-GT at Motegi in 2022 during a Japanese manufacturer’s end-of-season event, marking his second exposure to a contemporary Super GT prototype.
The Super GT championship’s GT500 class features purpose-built racing cars that are engineering marvels, capable of astounding speeds. These machines are known to outpace even the World Endurance Championship’s hypercars over a typical lap around circuits like Fuji, highlighting the exceptional performance envelope and technical sophistication inherent to the category. Verstappen himself relished his recent experience aboard the Nissan Z, despite heavy rain limiting his track time at Fuji.
"It was a lot of fun," the 28-year-old commented on the eve of the Japanese Grand Prix. "Just a shame that it was raining quite a bit, so I couldn’t do that many laps. I would have liked to do more laps. But it’s a fantastic car, a fantastic category in general, and it was a great experience for me to drive that car, and also feel the grip in the wet. It’s quite different to what we have in Europe. Just being able to drive so many different cars is always a good thing."
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Verstappen’s exploration of sportscar racing has intensified in recent times, partly fueled by his growing discontent with the current hybrid regulations in Formula 1. His quest for purer, more visceral racing experiences has led him to other disciplines. Earlier this year, he notably contested the NLS2 race at the formidable Nürburgring Nordschleife, driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3. While open to the prospect of racing in Super GT’s GT500 class, which represents a significant step up in technological advancement compared to road-based GT3 cars, he pinpointed the championship’s structure as a primary deterrent.
When asked about a potential Super GT race entry, Verstappen stated, "Who knows, I need to see. It’s a great category. I wish they had a bit more of a standout one race, instead of just a championship. If that would be the case, it’s easier to commit to one; I cannot do a whole championship. And to do one race in a championship sometimes is also not the right thing. So, we’ll see. I would love to race these cars. It really reminds me of how the old DTM [Class 1] cars used to be, and that’s what you also really liked watching."
The Historical Context of Super GT’s Marquee Events
Verstappen’s comments at Suzuka underscore a notable void in Super GT’s current structure. The 2026 season calendar, for instance, features eight races across seven venues, yet there is limited differentiation in prominence between these events. Six of the eight races are contested over a 300km distance, akin to a Formula 1 Grand Prix, while two endurance rounds are timed to three hours. The Sepang round naturally distinguishes itself as the sole overseas event on the calendar, and the Fuji GT 3 Hours serves as the series’ de facto showpiece, strategically scheduled to coincide with Japan’s Golden Week holiday season.
However, Super GT historically boasted a genuine marque event that consistently attracted high-profile international names to the championship, including former Formula 1 world champions. The Suzuka 1000km, conceived as a standalone race in 1966, evolved into a major endurance fixture. It gained international recognition by joining prestigious championships such as the World Sportscar Championship and the FIA GT Championship. By the time it became a Super GT round in 2006, it was already an established endurance classic, drawing parallels to events like the Le Mans 24 Hours or the Daytona 24. Its integration significantly elevated the series’ profile.
The endurance format of the Suzuka 1000km allowed Super GT teams to field an additional third driver, creating a unique pathway for guest entrants and international talent. In its early years within Super GT, the event attracted drivers such as future Formula 1 competitor Adrian Sutil and current sportscar veteran Oliver Jarvis, a trend that continued for over a decade.
Perhaps the most prominent name to leverage the Suzuka 1000km route into Super GT was 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button. Following his departure from full-time F1 competition with McLaren, Button made a highly anticipated guest appearance at the 2017 Suzuka 1000km, joining the Mugen Honda team as their designated third driver. Although the race itself did not go his way, resulting in a 12th-place finish, the experience proved transformative. Button was thoroughly captivated by Super GT, leading him to sign a two-year deal with Honda to compete in the championship full-time. He went on to secure the GT500 title in 2018 alongside his teammate Naoki Yamamoto, adding a major sportscar championship to his illustrious F1 career.
This crucial pathway for attracting top-tier international talent to Super GT was effectively closed in 2018. The series promoter, GTA, partnered with SRO Motorsports Group to launch the Suzuka 10 Hours, a new endurance event forming part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. This new 10-hour fixture became Suzuka’s sole ‘Summer Endurance Race,’ shifting the spotlight away from the Super GT championship’s own endurance round. While the Suzuka 10 Hours aimed to be a full-blown international event with a distinct Japanese identity, it crucially excluded GT500 machinery, thereby precluding top-level factory involvement from Super GT’s premier class. Only cars from Super GT’s GT300 class were encouraged to participate alongside international GT3 machinery. Consequently, the Fuji Golden Week round remained as the championship’s de facto headline event, lacking the unique allure of a true endurance classic.
While the Suzuka 1000km name still retains significant historical value, and SRO did revive the format last year for Japan’s return to the IGTC calendar (allowing Super GT’s GTA-GT300 spec cars to compete alongside GT3 machinery with performance balancing), Super GT’s internal focus has primarily shifted towards international expansion. The successful return of Sepang to the calendar in 2025 after a prolonged absence has been lauded, and the championship has previously ventured into Thailand. Both Sepang and Buriram were on the original 2020 calendar before the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated five years of racing exclusively within Japan.
Potential Avenues for a Verstappen Super GT Appearance
Despite the structural challenges, one potential avenue remains open should Verstappen be genuinely committed to making a Super GT appearance. Following Sepang’s reintroduction to the calendar last year, organisers floated the idea of a wildcard GT500 entry for the 2026 season. At present, this project remains a "work in progress," with no manufacturer having yet committed to supplying or operating such a car.
In theory, such a wildcard entry could enable Verstappen to compete at Sepang on June 20-21, a timeframe that would fit into the short break between the Formula 1 races in Barcelona and Spielberg. However, the wildcard concept is primarily designed to promote Malaysian driving talent, meaning any involvement from Verstappen would likely hinge on significant external backing, potentially from Red Bull. Furthermore, any wildcard programme, regardless of Verstappen’s participation, would require the cooperation of one of Super GT’s three GT500 manufacturers—Honda, Nissan, or Toyota—to supply and run the car. Nissan, notably, may have some capacity after reducing its GT500 programme from four to three cars this year due to financial considerations. It is also significant that Nissan was Red Bull’s manufacturer of choice for Verstappen’s recent test outing at Fuji.
Ultimately, Verstappen’s long-term future in Formula 1 remains a key determinant for any potential Super GT participation. The layout of the Suzuka Circuit, a driver favourite, starkly exposes the shortcomings of the current F1 hybrid power unit package. Drivers reportedly lose as much as 50km/h on iconic corners like 130R due to ‘super clipping’ – a phenomenon where the hybrid system’s energy deployment limits performance. Verstappen’s inability to fully enjoy a track he typically adores was reflected in his comments, where he admitted to having "life" decisions to make as his discontent with the direction of Formula 1 continues to grow.
While he appears somewhat resigned to the current situation, Verstappen is actively engaged in discussions with Formula 1 and the FIA to refine the sport’s regulations. The outcome of these talks, and whether the current generation of cars can be modified to better suit his driving preferences, remains uncertain regarding his commitment to seeing out his contract with Red Bull. Nevertheless, even if he remains in Formula 1 next year, the likelihood of Verstappen expanding his sportscar racing ventures is high, and the allure of Super GT, with its technically advanced machinery and fierce competition, is expected to remain a strong draw.
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Author Profile
- Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.
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